Georgia outside linebackers continue to impress with improvement

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s outside linebacker room has the makings of a group that could impress this season. With Mykel Williams moving to spend more time there, the potential of Damon Wilson and the experience of Chaz Chambliss , Chidera Uzo-Diribe is working with one of the best OLB trios in the country. Todd Hartley sees that every day when his tight ends go up against them, as does Glenn Schumann serving as the Georgia defensive coordinator.

“If you ask Chidera (Uzo-Diribe), he’ll probably tell you all of them are giving us fits,” Hartley joked when asked about the outside linebackers this week during fall camp . “It’s pretty competitive between us and the outside linebackers. He’s got a good room, a very talented room.”

“I’ve been very impressed, and that’s the one thing about being at Georgia and the one thing we preach in development. You’re going to go against the best in the country every day. When you go against the best in the country every day, you can’t help but get better. Iron sharpens iron,” he continued . “Everybody’s heard that before, but it’s no truer than being right here at UGA and going on that practice field and seeing the wars you have between the o-line and d-line, the tight ends and outside linebackers, the receivers and DBs. It’s good on good, it’s iron versus iron, and those guys develop and get better because of who they go against. Going against those outside linebackers every day makes us better for sure.”

According to Hartley, conversation about the outside linebackers has to start with Chambliss. He’s “the savvy veteran of the group” and causes problems for Georgia’s offense when they go up against him. Chambliss, having been around for four seasons, has seen everything and knows exactly where he’s supposed to be to make the play.

“When we’re going against those guys, you’ve got to have a different plan for blocking Chaz,” Hartley said . “… Our guys get so frustrated when Chaz is exactly where he needs to be when he needs to be there, so you’ve got to have a different plan for a guy like that that’s played so many snaps. He’s so tough and physical and such a core Georgia guy. He just epitomizes what Coach Smart believes makes this program. You can’t talk outside linebackers unless you start with Chaz first.”

Schumann is tasked with the tough job of finding the best ways to utilize the talent in that room, and with former five-stars like Williams and Wilson around, justifying Chambliss’ playing time can be hard. He too sees the value in having a tough type of player in the room. He helps set an example and gets everybody around him better.

“Obviously there’s the utmost respect for what Chaz brings to that room, and he has been a better version of himself this entire offseason,” Schumann said . “I think he’s really attacked the areas that he needed to grow, he’s affected the passing game more, and he’s done a better job in terms of what he’s done in space while remaining a tough, gritty player.”

Chambliss isn’t the only one improving. Schumann said he’s seen gradual steps taken from the young guys too. Of Georgia’s outside linebackers on scholarship, Chambliss is the only one who has spent more than one season at the position in Athens. The rest are either freshmen or sophomores or transitioning from time at another position.

“That kind of sums up the whole room in a lot of ways. You have guys that last year some of the young guys who were really good in one area, and that position requires a lot,” Schumann said . ” … Those guys in that room have all kind of attacked their weaknesses, whether it’s Damon’s put on a lot of weight and got stronger in the run game. Gabe (Harris) ‘s become a position-versatile player that, you know, was just a hand-down d-end before, and now he’s a much more well-rounded out player. Sam M’Pemba , he’s a guy that didn’t play a lot of outside ‘backer before his senior year at IMG, and so he grew a lot as a football player. Quintavius Johnson has done a really good job. So those guys that are in that room, I think that they have all attacked areas they needed to improve, which is what you expect from people if they want to grow, and they’ve done a really good job. I’m pleased with that room to this point in camp.”

Georgia will scrimmage for the first time in fall camp on Saturday. The Bulldogs are 10 days in to the 30 they had from the start of camp to the start of the season. Top-ranked UGA takes on No. 14 Clemson August 31st (12:00 p.m. ET, ABC) in Atlanta to get the 2024 campaign underway.

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